The Daidoujis
by QueenyLeAcH
Summary: How did Sonomi meet Tomoyo's father? What kind of man was he? Rated for a character getting drunk.


**Disclaimer: I only own Kaede.**

The Daidouji's

Sonomi POV

From the time I was very young, the only one I ever loved was my cousin Nadeshiko. In my eyes, she was perfect, from her long, flowing silver hair, to her sparkling heart, to her ridiculously clumsy feet. She was everything. Then she met that idiot, Fujitaka Kinomoto, a new teacher, and my entire world fell apart, ripped to shreds, never to be the same. My beautiful cousin married the dolt when she was sixteen, with her parents' good wishes. Bah! I would never! That aside, last time I heard from her, she was happily pregnant with her second child and she was praying for a girl.

Then it was Kinomoto, calling to tell me that Nadeshiko was horribly sick. She could hardly lift her arms, and he was terrified for the fate of the child that she was carrying. I could hear the tears in his voice, but I did my best to ignore it. Everything was his fault. If only he hadn't married her. If only she hadn't gotten pregnant.

My thoughts were spinning with this information when I blindly walked into a bar and decided to drown my sorrows in alcohol, if only for a little while. My cousin was dying and I couldn't get to her because I didn't have a license, didn't have many friends, and was at a University thousands of miles from where she and her family had decided to settle. It was about three scotches later that I noticed a woman with fantastic, long, red hair that fell in waves down her slender frame, which was captured perfectly by a sleek, silver dress that glistened in the dim light. Her bright eyes found me staring and approached.

"Yurrrr flat," I commented.

She smiled warmly, white teeth shining, and grabbed my most recent drink and moved it away. "I think you should stop before you're completely impaired," she said. Her voice was like honey. I just wanted to drink it.

"Yurrrr probly wright," I slurred. How I could generate words even close to what I wanted to say, I am still amazed. "Mai couzin is dyin', an' I 'ad to learn frob 'er idiot 'usban', an' I can't eben go shee 'er 'cause I'm stuck 'ere."

I didn't even notice that I had started crying until the woman pulled me into a tight embrace and a damp circle formed near my eyes. The last thing I remember from that night was that I liked the way she smelled, not fruity, as I'd expected. No, she had the faint scent of bar soap.

Later, I learned that I had fallen asleep in her arms, and not matter what anyone would do, I just wouldn't wake back up. I figured it was because of exhaustion. So, taking pity on me, the woman found my purse and looked for my license so that she could find my address, then she put me in a cab and sat with me while the driver drove to my home. While looking for my wallet, she had also found my keys and kept them in her own purse, so she was able to get into my home. She admitted later that it was all she could think of and apologized profusely.

The next thing I remember was the sun shining on my face the next morning and turning over in my bed. My heels had been placed by my foot, where I never would have put them. And I had a really bad hangover. I had scarcely woken when I was running for the nearest trash can. After I finished hacking up all of the alcohol from the night before, I waddled to my kitchen and found that my coffee pot was ready for brewing, and next to a mug on the counter was a note from a Kaede Daidouji.

888

The next night, I returned to the bar, hoping to find this Kaede. I had a hunch that it was the woman that she was crying into while drunk. I was hardly through the door when I noticed that I was the only woman in the bar. I was most definitely not the only one in a dress, but I was the only woman. It took me almost a full minute to connect the dots. I had walked right into a gay bar. Twice.

"Oh. My. God," I whispered so as not to be noticed. It failed. Everyone turned to see the woman in the doorway, then they turned away, uninterested.

The bartender, a big, buff man with a half burned cigarette hanging from his mouth, smiled at me, yellow teeth on full display. I wondered briefly if he did it on purpose to ward off his patrons. "Whaz the matter, sweetheart? Didn't realize last night that you'd walked into my tranny bar?" He finished with a hearty, booming laugh.

"N-n-n-n-n," I stuttered, unable to get out the end of the syllable. I was still reeling from my discovery, so I wasn't quite ready for twenty dangerous questions. I even pondered the thought that this was the wrong bar, I was pretty wasted; but he had just told me that he recognized me.

"Renji!" I voice scolded from behind me. I person swept past, the smell of solid soap surrounded me for a moment, and I took a deep breath, the scent comforting me. A bright red, uncombed ponytail came up behind and smacked me in the head, effectively wiping away the last of my shock and replacing it with annoyance. I didn't catch sight of the profile until the frame stopped. The person had long legs covered by faded jeans, a slim torso swimming in a red T-shirt, from which thin arms were practically lost, and a five o'clock shadow on his sharp chin. Whoever it was began talking with the barkeep, but I had stopped listening.

I bent over a pot by the door and hurled up the last of my hangover. A hand gently grabbed my hair, which was a little beyond shoulder-length at the time, and pulled it away from my face. I heard the owner demand a glass of water and a real garbage can. One of the patrons got him a can from the corner, and the bartender, Renji, grabbed a glass and filled it from the tap by the sink. It seemed quite rehearsed and incredibly well done.

I finished hacking, then I grabbed my bangs and pushed them away from my eyes. I finished by pulling away from the hands that had helped me. I believe I had done it more roughly than I had intended.

"Now don't be like that, girlie," Renji said. "Kaede was only trying to help. If I recall, he helped you out yesterday too when you passed out at my bar. You were lucky to wake up at home instead of in your chair, or worse, the police station."

My stomach heaved. The one who I had cried to, the one who had helped me home, was one of them. "Men are disgusting creatures that only tell lies and take away precious things," I replied venomously. The fat head of Kinomoto flashed through my face.

"Then you've never met a good man," the barkeep retorted, snorting.

I would have said more, but my reeling mind spiraled down to my stomach. My breakfast of coffee was ready to return with its new best friend, acid. The red head, Kaede, substituted a plastic bag for my bin and helped me stand. "Renji, I'm gonna take her home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yer too nice for your own good, kid," he replied, nodding.

Kaede turned and held me as we walked down the street. I was too exhausted to pry his arms away. "Is the fresh air helping?" he asked.

"You were dressed as a woman last night and comforted me," I stated. He didn't deny it, so I continued. "Why did you do that, and why are you doing this?"

"I wasn't raised to leave a sad woman alone. My mother always carried a lot on her shoulders and sometimes she just broke down crying. I learned fast that the best way to tell her that I was there wasn't to leave the room or to give her a pep talk, it was to give her a hug and let her cry. I guess the old instincts just kicked in."

"What about your dad?" I asked, curious. My parents died when I was young, so I went to live with my grandfather, so it was very interesting for me to learn about others and their families.

"Don't know. Mom never told me about him. It was like he never existed, and I never wanted him to exist. I had my mom, and that was enough for me."

I was quiet for a moment, thinking. "I have to say, I'm surprised."

"By what?"

"The fact that you're gay. Were you just curious, or did you just think you were too feminine to attract a female and gave them up, or were you never attracted to them at all…?" I was cut off when I looked up and saw him gaping at me. "S-sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to be rude."

"I'm not gay," he stated. I goggled at him. "I'm working at the bar because I couldn't get a job anywhere else, and Renji was willing to hire me as a busser. I wear the women's clothing to ward some of the guys off. The only ones that know I'm really a guy are the regulars who are in when I drop by for my pay check."

"Ohhh," I said. I started to look around and saw that we were rounding a corner five blocks from my apartment. We had passed it while we were talking. I made sure to point it out to Kaede.

He smiled mischievously. "I know."

"So you missed the turn on purpose?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you. Well, a sober you anyway. To be honest, I didn't think you would come until tomorrow. It's a good thing I had to come in, otherwise I wouldn't have seen you. Why? Is taking a detour so horrible?"

I stalled, humming to myself monotonously. Once, I would have said, "If I'm walking with a man it is." Now, after I couldn't answer that way. I was having a good time walking and talking with him. "I suppose it would be better if I wasn't ill," I finally answered.

"You aren't ill," he replied simply. "You have a minor hangover, and I'm not surprised, what with how much you drank last night."

I guffawed and gawked at him, and the moron actually started laughing. My gape turned into a dagger-sharp glare in less than a second. "Something funny?" I growled.

His laugh reduced to a giggle. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. It's just… your face just now… it was too cute," he replied, obviously attempting to save his skin. The words didn't even register much though, his giggle was still ringing in my ears. It sounded like fairy bells and sunshine. It sounded like Nadeshiko.

My feet stopped moving. "Why do you dress like a girl?"

He turned around. "Pardon?"

I gestured at his person. "Yesterday, you were wearing a dress. I understand that it's for your job and everything, but I wouldn't do that. You can bus just as easily as a man. Why dress like a woman?"

"Oh… Well, that's because I look too much like a woman to be a man, but I feel too much like a man to be a woman. Dressing as a woman was just easier than dressing as a man. Besides, I've gone in there dressed as a man before. The guys have a habit of hitting on a pretty face. They don't show up in guys much."

He seemed embarrassed, so I let the subject drop. I guess I thought that maybe it was something more. I looked down at my feet, trying to think of another topic of conversation. I think I was staring at my shoes too long because Kaede grabbed my hand in a soft grip and started running down the street. The only reason I didn't fall on my face immediately was because of the years of track I did in junior and senior high school. He started jumping over garbage cans and bums sipping from bottles in plastic bags and stairs that jutted from apartment buildings, pulling me along behind him. Against my greater judgment, I even started laughing maniacally. I couldn't remember the last time I'd laughed so hard, and while running no less. Heck, I wasn't even paying attention to where we were going.

Some time later, I was huffing and puffing, my legs felt like jelly, and my hand was numb from keeping my grasp on Kaede. Right in front of my apartment building, Kaede collapsed on the sparse patch of overgrown grass. The thump was pretty loud considering his lithe frame, and his chest rose and fell in oceanic swells.

I knelt down beside him. "Out of breath?"

He nodded, unable to speak. I went to rise and enter the building, but I never got the chance because while I was unbalanced, Kaede pulled on my arm and forced me to the ground beside him. When I tried to get back up, he slung his arm over me and pulled me closer to him. "Can I see you again," he asked. I couldn't see his expression because his head was positioned above mine, but he sounded nervous.

My stomach dropped. "Why?" I asked, hesitantly. He mumbled something incoherent. "I can't understand," I replied.

He moved so that his head was more level with mine, then he kissed my cheek. It was light, feathery, soft, barely noticeable at all, but it still happened. He whispered something that I didn't notice and got up. I sat there and watched him walk away.

I'll spare you the boring details about how confused I was and the denial and the things I noticed about myself during the days that we were friends. Instead, I'll stick with the facts.

I saw him every morning and evening when he walked with me to and from work. He never tried to touch me or get too close like he did that first night. He quit his job at the bar after a month and managed to get a new one at a very popular toy store. Every day he told me about a new toy idea that came to him, and every night I recorded every detail into a little notebook for him. I had learned pretty quickly how bad he was at writing stuff down. That one filled up pretty quickly, and I moved on to another, then another.

Then, one day, without any warning, he walked me by a park with a beautiful lake and told me that he loved me. From the way he looked, it seemed that the confession had been plaguing him for ages, and he was terrified of my answer. So I didn't make him wait. I smiled sweetly and thanked him, and when his face fell in despair, I told him that I felt the same way. What I didn't tell him was that I didn't realize it until after his confession.

A month later, he was down on one knee, asking me to marry him. I still remember that it was at that same park as the confession, but we were sitting on the swing sets, not by the lake. Naturally, I said yes immediately. Within a year, we were happily married.

One evening, almost a year later, he told me about a little orphanage he passed by that day during his break. He had a habit of wandering the neighborhood when he was bored. In the yard, he saw a girl with really long, flowing dark hair and eyes sparkling with knowledge playing with two little boys. "I know we haven't really talked about having kids," he said, "but I think now would be a good time. Sonomi, she was the more precious thing I've ever seen, and if I were still alone and not with the most wonderful woman on the planet, I would have adopted her then and there." From that point we discussed having our own children versus adopting, and my initial plan to not have children at all, but he convinced me to at least go with him and meet her.

I still didn't think I was ready for children, but I humored him and went. Who knew, maybe that little girl was just what I needed. We decided to go on a Saturday, just after lunch when the children would all be outside playing. When the head of the facility walked us outside, I knew immediately which child was Kaede's. She was just so beautiful that she stood out. But after that one glance, I couldn't look anymore.

The way her hair fell, the sparkle in her eyes, even the way her laughter carried, they were all eerily similar to Nadeshiko. In fact, if I hadn't known that that nitwit Kinomoto would never give his children up, I could have sworn that this was her little girl.

I ran inside the building and locked myself in the first bathroom I found, then I worked to pull myself together so I could face Kaede. I never expected that he would find me and tell me what I wanted to say to him through the door. "I'm sorry," he said, and then everything was all right.

We didn't bring the girl home that night.

888

"It's a malignant tumor, Mr. Daidouji."

The doctor continued talking, but I was no longer listening. I felt like my feet had been whisked out from under me yet again. I tried to focus on Kaede. The feel of his hand him mine, the rise and fall of his chest, the rumble of his sweet voice in his throat; on all of the things that would soon be stolen from me. Then Kaede brought me back with one simple question.

"How long?"

The doctor hung his head, struggling to get the words out. "We've predicted a six month maximum," he replied.

My fingers tightened over Kaede's, practically turning them purple. At the same time, his were putting and equal amount of pressure on mine.

"I'm sorry," the doctor finished, leaving us on our own.

888

Kaede lasted a miraculous seven months, a beautiful, heart-wrenching seven months that I will treasure until I'm down to my last day. He kept fighting and fighting, even until the bitter end. When he was almost gone, I kissed him passionately and told him I loved him one last time.

"Don't fall apart, my love," he replied.

I nodded, promising him. I held his hand and rubbed his knuckles through a thin layer of skin. A few minutes later, he was cold, and hot tears were cascading down my face. A scream built in my throat, and I didn't have the willpower to hold it back. It was the most gut-wrenching noise I had ever made.

A few days later, we held the funeral on a bright, sunny day. Most people probably would have thought that God was mocking them, but I didn't. I thanked Him, because this kind of day was exactly what Kaede would have wanted. I lifted my face to soak in the rays on my way home that evening when a rubber ball came rushing at my abdomen. I didn't realize anyone was even around until I was doubled over and two boys were apologizing profusely.

They were quite adorable, one being obviously many years older. "Moki-chan! Sei-chan! Where did you go?" called out a tiny female voice. She rounded the corner and ran at the boys. I saw that she was the exact same girl that had captured Kaede's heart. When she smiled at the two boys, I could see why. She just lit up like a little sun, just like Nadeshiko did, just like Kaede did, and I realized that I needed this little sun.

When we parted ways, the two boys, brothers apparently, I walked right into the main building and to the head's office. No matter what, I was going to adopt that child. I guess she saw my determination, because she made sure the adoption process was as smooth as possible. It wasn't until she formally met me and introduced herself that I learned her name. It was Tomoyo, and the second I saw her smile at me, I knew that it would be Tomoyo Daidouji really soon.

**Over 3000 words… I've outdone myself. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I hope that you also read my story **_**The Power of Spirit**_**. My partner and I would greatly love any support and encouragement that we can get. **

**Thanks for reading. **

**Review?**

**-LeAcH**


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